Danielle Kaufman - Women's Golf Coach - Southern Illinois University Athletics

Danielle Kaufman

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
danielle.kaufman@siu.edu
Phone:
618-453-5469

Danielle Kaufman enters her fourth season as head coach of the Salukis in 2021-22. Kaufman was named MVC Women's Golf Coach of the Year of the 2018-19 season, after guiding the Salukis to their first MVC Conference Championship since 2007. She is the first Southern Illinois women’s golf coach in program history to win the award in their first year. Kaufman also guided the 2021-22 Men's Golf team to the 2022 MVC Championship and was voted the 2022 Men's Golf Coach of the Year, the first woman in MVC men's golf history to earn the honor and third coach from SIU.

Southern Illinois University announced Kaufman as the women's golf head coach on June 14, 2018. She was named the Director of Golf for both the men's and women's golf programs in October of 2020. The Nashville, Ill., native, played golf at SIU under Hall of Fame coach Diane Daugherty.

"I want to thank Saluki Athletics Administrators for giving me the opportunity to fulfill my dream of becoming the next head women's golf coach for Southern Illinois University," Kaufman said. "As a Saluki alumna, I have taken what Coach Daugherty had taught me from my athletic career at SIU; and I want to instill that same commitment to excellence within my players and program. I look forward to helping shape the new generation of Saluki golfers. I am honored and humbled to be joining the Saluki athletic family."

Kaufman came to SIU from Rend Lake College, where she led the women's golf program to a top-15 finish at the NJCAA National Tournament in 2018. She was the NJCAA Region 24 Coach of the Year.

As a player, Kaufman was the 2004 Region 24 medalist at Rend Lake College. She earned All-Region and All-American honors at Rend Lake before playing at SIU. Kaufman was the 2003 Southern Illinois co-Golfer of the Year and set a Rend Lake Golf Course record with a 68 in 2003. Kaufman was inducted into the Rend Lake Hall of Fame in 2017.

Kaufman was a member of the 2007-08 golf team at SIU under Daugherty and graduated with a degree in university studies, specializing in health.

"I am thrilled Danielle will be taking over the golf program," SIU Hall-of-Fame coach Dianne Daugherty said. "Danielle is part of the SIU women's golf family, and I am so excited for her and the team."

Kaufman is the latest in a long line of illustrious SIU women's golf coaches, including Daugherty, who coached the team for 25 years and was inducted into the SIU Hall of Fame, and Dr. Charlotte West, who led the program to the 1969 national championship and is recognized as one of the nation's pioneers in women's athletics.

"We have had a long history of success in our women's golf program at SIU," Dr. West said. "I think a lot of people have forgotten that we were national champions at one time. Certainly Diane helped us remain nationally prominent and while I don't know Danielle personally, I've heard from many of my golf friends in the southern Illinois area who think very highly of her. I think she is going to do an excellent job with our program."

As a coach at Rend Lake, Kaufman also served as the student success coordinator and academic mentor. She was also an assistant softball coach for three seasons and coached two All-Americans. She also worked with camps, team travel, recruiting, student retention and budgeting.

At SIU, Kaufman succeeds Alexis O'Brien as head coach. O'Brien served as the program's head coach from 2011-18.